Bottom-supported car door



Aug. 26 1924 W. P. MURPHY BOTTOM suPPon'rEn CAR noon Original Filed lay 8,

w 0 k i \n W N if? 7 g :37 W w H 5 1: 0 W 1 i 1 Patented Aug. 26, 1924.

UNITED STATES WALTER P. MURPHY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTOM-SUPPORTED CAR DOOR.

Original application filed May- 8, 1920, Serial No. 379,807. Divided and this application filed April 8,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER P. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residin at New York city, in the county of New ork and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottom- Supported Car Doors, of which the followin IS a specification,

y inventionrelates to a door construction forrailway cars, and particularly to a door construction for a railway-box car of the type which involves supporting the door on rollers arranged under the lower edge thereof and guiding its upper edge so that the door may be moved back and forth across the door opening.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved metal door composed of sheet metal and commercial rolled bars, the construction of which will be peculiarly suited for use in the situation noted; the construction in contemplation providing a door which is strong, rigid and durable and yet light in weight and which is provided with means whereby rain, dust and the like, is effectually prevented from entering the car between the edges of the door and the door frame.

The invention consists of the new and im proved constructions to be hereinafterde scribed and claimed for carrying out the above stated object and such, other incidental objects as will be referred to in the description of the preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the door applied .to a box car of common construction to close the side door opening thereof.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken on line .2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Serial No. 550,140.

sheathing as is customary in box car construction.

The dooris supported from its lower edge preferably by rollers or other devices for.

minimizing friction, while the upper edge of the door is merely guided by a guide member, which, normally, does not carry any of the weight of the door,

have shown the door supported by a pair of rollers 16 journaled in brackets 17 secured by bolts 18 to the side sill 11.

The guide member for the upper edge of the door consists preferably of a rolled metal bar 19 in the form of a double channel, the upper portion of which is secured to a spacing or lintel strip 20 fastened to the side plate 12.

The door consists of a marginal frame composed of rolled metal bars angular incross section, and a sheet metal panel secured in said frame and consisting of one or more metal sheets preferably formed with rigidifying corrugations. The upper member of the marginal frame consists of an outwardly opening channeled element 21 which stands in interlocking arrangement with the inturned channeled portion 22 of the guide member 19. The channeled member 21 is formed on its outer lower edge- With a depending flange 23 to which the upper edge of the sheet metal panel is secured. This panel consists, in the embodiment of the invention shown, of three metal sheets 24, 25, 26, secured together by rivets 2-7 andformed with horizontally disposed corrugations 28 which are pressed inwardly from the marginal portions of the sheets,- preferably to a depth corresponding substantially tothe width of the channeled member 21.

The bottom member of the marginal door frame consists of a Z-bar 29 having a horizont-al web 30 bearing on rollers 16, an upstanding flange 31 at the outer edge of this web to which the lower margin of the sheet metal panel is secured and a depending flange 32 at the inner edge of web 30 which stands back of the rollers. It is important, in a door, of this type, that the lower edge of the door be of rugged construction. The door merely rests on rollers and there is consequently a chance for movement of the door up and down in case the car passes over a rough piece of track. The easy operation of the door in opening and closing depends upon having a smooth and even surface for sliding over the rollers. The tendency of the door to jump from the rollers when the track is rough makes it important to have the lower edge of the door so constructed that it is not easily bent or mutilated. The rolled Z-bar is a very desirable structural element to use for this portion of the door as its strength and rigidity, in proportion to weight of metal, is considerable To further reinforce this part of the door a plate 33 is secured to the depending flange 32 of the Z-bar and to the lower one of the in-pressed corrugations 28. This gives the lower portion of the door a hollow, box-like construction of great strength and stiffness.

The member of the marginal door frame at the forward edge of the door consists of an angle bar 34 having a flange 35 to which the sheet metal panel is riveted, and an inwardly extending flange 36 adapted to bear flatwise against the outstanding flange 37 of an angle bar stop strip 38 arranged on the forward door post 13. The top frame member at the rear edge of the door consists of an angle bar 39 having a flange 40 to which the edge of the sheet metal panel is secured and. an inwardly extending flange 41, the inner edge 42 of which is bent to an oblique and forwardly extending position to engage with an obliquely disposed lip 43 on a weather strip 44 secured to the rear door post 14.

The corrugations 28 of the sheet metal panel are preferably pressed inwardly from the margin of the panel so that they occupy the space within the marginal frame and therefore add nothing to the thickness of the door. In case the brackets 17 should fail the upper flange 45 of the door frame member 21 will engage the lower flange 46 of the guide member 22 so as to prevent the door from falling from the car.

It is realized that certain modifications in structural details could be made without departure from the principles of my invention. Therefore I wish to be understood as claiming all such modifications as may be within the scope of the appended claims.

This application is a division of my coending application Serial No. 379,807, filed I claim:

1. In combination with the body of a railway box car having a door opening, brackets provided with rollers below the door opening and a guide member having an inwardly opening channeled portion above the door opening; a sheet metal panel formed with a plurality of horizontally disposed inwardly projecting corrugations which terminate within the edges of the panel to provide flat margins at the forward and rear edges of the door, angle bars secured to said forward and rear margins and having webs inwardly projecting therefrom, a guide member secured to the upper edge of the panel and having an outwardly opening channeled portion to cooperate with the aforesaid guide member above the door opening, a Z-bar secured to the lower edge of the panel and projecting inwardly therefrom and bearing upon said rollers, and a flat plate on the inside of the panel at its lower edge secured to one of said corrugations and to said Z-bar, to provide a hollow box-like reinforcement which bears upon said rollers, the inner web of the Z-bar and the lower edge of said flat plate extending back of said rollers.

2. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, rollers arranged under said dooropening, and a door comprising a sheet metal panel and a box-like rigidifying structure at its lower edge having a horizontal web bearing on said rollers, an upstanding flange towhich the edge of the panel is secured, and a depending flange standing back of said rollers, said panel being formed with corrugations which are pressed inwardly from the marginal portion of the panel. I

3. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, rollers arranged under said door opening, a door comprising a sheet metal panel and a rigidifying structure at its lower edge having a horizontal web bearing on said rollers, an upstanding flange to which the edge of the panel is secured, a depending flange standing back of said rollers said panel being formed with horizontally disposed corrugations which are pressed inwardly from the marginal portion of the panel, and a plate secured to said depending flange and to one of said corrugations. I

4. In combination with a railway car having a door opening,,door supporting means arranged under said door opening, and a sheet metal door providedat its lower edge with a hollow box-like structure, the bottom of which bears on said door supporting means.

5. In combination with a railway car having a door opening,'rollers arranged under said door opening, and a door comprising a marginal frame, a sheet metal panel within said frame, and means at the lower edge of the door providing with said frame and panel a hollow box-like construction, the bottom of which bears on said rollers.

6. In combination with a railway car havaid door opening having an inwardly openng channel and a door consisting of a marginal frame, a sheet metal panel therein, the ipper member of said frame being formed vith an outwardly opening channel in interocking arrangement with thechanneled poraion of the guide member and a flange depending from the outer and lower edge of ;aid channel to which the upper edge of said ;heet metal anel is secured.

8. In com ination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above said door opening having an inwardly opening channel and a door consisting of a marginal frame, a sheet metal panel therein, the upper member of said frame being formed with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking arrangement with the channeled portion of the guide member, and a flange depending from the outer and lower edge of said channel to which the upper edge of said sheet metal panel is secured, said sheet metal panel being formed with rigidifying corrugations which extend inwardly from the marginal portion of the panel.

9. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above the door opening having an inwardly ening channel, rollers arranged under the oor opening, and a door comprising a marginal frame and a sheet metal panel in said frame, the upper member of said frame provided with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking relation with the channeled portion of the guide member and the lower frame member formed with a horizontally disposed web bearing on said rollers.

10. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above the door opening having an inwardly opening channel, rollers arranged under the door opening, and a door comprising a marginal frame and a sheet metal panel in said frame, the upper member of said frame provided with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking relation with the channeled portion of the guide member and the lower frame member formed with a horizontally disposed web bearing on said rollers and with a depending flange standing back of the rollers.

11. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above the door opening having an inwardly opening channel, rollers arranged under the door opening, and a door comprising a marginal frame, a sheet metal panel arranged and secured within the opposite planes or said frame, the upper member of said frame provided with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking relation with the channeled portion of the guide member and with a depending flange at the outer and lower edge of the channel to which said sheet metal panel is secured, and the lower frame member formed with a horizontally disposed web bearing on said rollers, with an upstanding flange at the outer edge of said web to which the lower edge of the sheet metal panel is secured and with a depending flange at the inner edge of the web which stands back of said rollers,

12. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above the door opening having an inwardly opening channel, rollers arranged under the door opening, and a door comprising a marinal frame, a sheet metal panel in said rame, the upper member of said frame provided with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking relation with the channeled portion of the guide member and with a depending flange at the outer and lower edge of the channel to. which said sheet metal panel is secured, and the lower frame member formed with a horizontally disposed web bearing on said rollers, with an upstanding flange at the outer edge of said web to which the lower edge of the sheet metal panel is secured and with a depending flange at the inner edge of the web which stands back of said rollers, said sheet metal panel being formed with inwardly extending corrugations terminating within the edges of the panel and having a depth corresponding substantially to the width of said marginal frame.

13. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above the door opening having an inwardly opening channel, rollers arranged under the door opening, and a door comprising a marinal frame, a sheet metal panel in said rame, the upper member of said frame provided with an outwardly opening channel in interlocking relation with the channeled portion of the guide member and with a depending flange at the outer and lower edge of the channel to which said sheet metal panel is secured, the lower frame member formed with a horizontally disposed web bearing on said rollers, with an upstanding flange at the outer edge of said web to which the lower edge of the sheet metal panel is secured and with a depending flange at the inner edge of the web which stands back of said rollers, said sheet metal panel being formed with inwardly extending horizontally disposed corrugations, and a plate secured to the depending flange of the lower frame member and to the lower one of said corrugations to provide a boxlike reinforcement which bears upon said rollers.

14. In combination with a railway car having a door opening, a guide member above said door opening having an inwardly opening channel, rollers arranged under said door opening and a door comprising a marginal frame consisting of an outwardly which are secured to said depending flange of the upper frame member, the upstanding flange of the lower frame member and to said angle bar members at the front, forward and rear edges of the door, and a plate secured to the depending flange of the Z-bar and to the lowermost of the corru ations of said sheet metal panel to provi e a boxlike reinforcement which bears upon said rollers.

WALTER P. MURPHY. 

